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Pregnancy

Keeping your winter baby warm

20 replies

Smerlin · 16/09/2013 10:37

Well I stepped out of the house this morning and it's freezing! Which led me to think about keeping the baby warm when she arrives!

Our baby is due in mid Oct and I'm getting a bit worried about keeping her warm when the cold really bites!

How do you layer your winter baby...

  1. in the crib
  2. in the house but not asleep e.g when b/f/ playing etc
  3. when out in the cold?

    I have heard about doing one extra layer but I feel the cold quite badly so normally spend the winter wrapped in a blanket on top of clothes!

    We have installed a nursery thermometer and this morning it only said 18 degrees- it's only September!!! (We live in an old property with gaps between wooden floorboards, single glazing etc)

    Heating bill is going to be massive this winter!
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RobotHamster · 16/09/2013 10:41

One more layer than you is generally fine, but depends onthe baby. Light layers are the way to go. Feel the back of the neck or tummy to feel if too warm or cold.

Outside just bundle up in a snowsuit and blankets :)

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UriGeller · 16/09/2013 10:50

Dd was born in January last year and yes the heating bill was big but we knew it would be.
She was naturally kept at the right temperature though as she was on me in a sling most of the time, it was. a Moby wrap which is like wearing an extra layer, and we co-slept too. The added advantages were that I was toasty as well.
On the rare occasions I put her down Grin I had a little natural sheepskin from Babydan, I think it was about £25 and a wool blanket.

Our house is well insulated (thanks to pensioner previous owners) and the nursery thermometer reads 18 at the moment. I think 16-18 is about right.

Remember she'll be in your room for the first few months though and nappy changes and baths can be done in the warmest room during winter. Good luck! Winter babies are said to be hardy anyway!

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Smerlin · 16/09/2013 17:40

Hmm sheepskin sounds like a lovely idea.

Presumably you didn't keep the heating on in the night as well?! We have a co sleeper crib so although she'll be really close, she won't benefit from my body heat...

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Sarahmains40 · 16/09/2013 20:41

Sorry I can't input . But it makes me melt at the thought of a snugly baby all wrapped up and cosy awwwwww


Sorry

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Fairydogmother · 16/09/2013 20:48

My friend kept a wee halogen heater in her bedroom which she used during night feeds to keep the room warm when they were up.

My baby is due at the start of November and every one says its so much easier to keep them warm rather than try to cool them down if they were tiny and it was summer!

Vest, babygro and a wool cardigan along with a fleece blanket should be grand for during the day. I'm planning to carry him in a sling so that will help too!

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DoItTooJulia · 16/09/2013 20:50

Yy to sheepskin. You can get liners for the car seats and prams too.

Also you can get padded sleep suits, with arms and feet, which are great. I got mine from mothercare. They are 2.5 tog, so be careful with other layers if you use them for nighttime sleeping.

Natural fibres are great and long sleeved vests.

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jammietart · 16/09/2013 20:52

December baby here and we did have the heating on at night but I think that was more for my benefit than DDs! as others have said vest, babygrow, socks and a little knitted cardigan for indoors and a snowsuit and lots of blankets for outside. And remember their little hands are always cold and not a good indication of warmth!

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Oceansurf · 16/09/2013 20:56

Bath them in the lounge.

Be careful with your heating - too hot is far more dangerous. We had a heartstopping moment last year when, on one of the coldest nights of the year, we woke up suddenly at 4am and the gro egg said 30degrees! and was RED! We had been that exhausted, we had forgotten to turn the heater off before we went to sleep. Seriously thought I'd killed my baby :( When they're too warm, they just go all drowsy. Too cold, they will let you know!

Outside, you want a Jojo Maman snowsuit! Agree Winter baby better than height of heatwave!

18 is perfect for a baby by they way.

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RhinestoneCowgirl · 16/09/2013 20:58

DD was a December baby. We had a lambskin as a gift and I used that to line her moses basket, and for her to lie on during the day (although she didn't spend that much time lying on the floor as she had a big brother charging around!)

Spent a lot of time in the sling (stretchy wrap) which was lovely, especially when it snowed in the February. Like having a little hot water bottle strapped to your front Grin.

At night time she tended to co-sleep. We don't tend to have heating on upstairs (storage heaters) as it gets too hot. I do have a small plug-in heater that I sometimes use to take the chill off when it's really cold.

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FloraDance · 16/09/2013 21:01

Swaddled, then in a fabric sling, wooly hat with ear flaps and tiny sheepskin slippers, bliss Envy Grin

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cupcake78 · 16/09/2013 21:03

Get a snow suit for outside! Oil heated radiator with a thermostat for nights.

Long sleeve vests under clothes.

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CitrusyOne · 16/09/2013 21:07

Dd was born last October, and I found it easier to keep her warm during the winter than I did to keep her cold during the heat wave. Layers- vests, tops, cardigans and blankets are all good.

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AnotherStitchInTime · 16/09/2013 21:11

Dd2 was Feb born and it was freezing.

Inside it was short or long sleeved vest, sleepsuit, cardigan, booties and blankets if cold (sheet and 2 blankets if sleeping, just a fleece blanket or fleece onesie if not). We kept thermostat on 18 degrees C and just turned of all other radiators except ours and kids bedroom at night. For dd1 when she was young we had an oil filled plug in radiator with thermostat in her room for winter time.

Outside depending on temperature it would be vest, sleepsuit, cardigan, snow suit, hat, blanket and/or cosy toes pram cover. Or vest, sleepsuit, booties, hat, stretchy wrap under my winter maternity coat and a big cardy.

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IneedAsockamnesty · 16/09/2013 21:21

Provided your not being silly and leaving windows wide open and things like that its not something you need to panic about.

Most modern houses tend to be adequately heated even without the heating on all the time you really don't need to wack up the heating or pile on the blankets and its actually quite dangerous to do so.

It really is just one more layer than your wearing and its often better if that layer is not something thick and heavy,if your comfortably sat wearing jeans and a shirt then your baby will be happy in a vest babygro and light cardi.

Outdoors if its cold just use a all in one coat it does not need to be super expensive tested in the Arctic because we don't live there a £14 one from bhs will do just fine.

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Wibblytummy · 16/09/2013 21:29

As someone's said before don't go off hands and feet to gauge their body temperature, go from back of the neck etc, that'll give a better clue if they're warm enough/getting too hot, as hands and feet often feel cold to the touch.

We had a tuppence and crumble star fleece wrap for the buggy. It was wonderful, toasty fleece that was so much easier to get a wriggly baby in and out of than a sleep suit and works perfectly with buggy/car seat harnesses. Would definitely recommend one of those! It also has a lovely hood to it, which was essential for my hat hating infant!

Other little things that made our baby happy in winter (he despises the cold even now at 2) was to make sure the towel was toasty off the radiator after bath time as he used to scream about leaving his warm water, he loved his gro-bag more than any blanket or cover and not to get too caught up with the thermometers. Ours was incredibly hypochondriacal. It would be beeping at me that the house was too hot, yet I still needed socks and slippers on and my son was still snuggled in to me, perfectly comfortable. It literally used to beep blue murder at me if we went a degree or two off 18°.

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Chocolateteabag · 16/09/2013 21:37

Yup - as everyone else has said - layers and check back of neck not hands.

DS was born in Nov 2010 - lovely snowed in first 4 months. But It was more important not to overheat him by forgetting to unwrap him from the many layers when we went into heated shops etc when out and about.

Our monitor had a high/low temp alarm which was reassuring and we had a thermostatic oil filled radiator (which is electric) which we use to keep his room at least a 16-17 degrees even now. Think it is this one from Argos

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neversleepagain · 17/09/2013 09:43

When sleeping: Short vest, sleepsuit, 2.5 tog Gro Bag (when correct weight). We swaddled before they were the correct weight for a Gro Bag and layered with blankets.
When awake at home: Short vest, sleepsuit, cardigan
Outside: Short vest, sleepsuit, cardigan, snowsuit, hat.

I had premature twins in winter. This is what I did and they survived. I kept the bedroom they slept in at 18 degrees. Our heating bill did go up that winter.

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MummyJetsetter · 17/09/2013 10:51

Swaddle or gro bag at night with extra blanket if needed. Pram suit for out and about and just normal baby clothes with a cardigan or blanket in the day. Babies adapt very well to their environment so your baby will probably cope better than you in a drafty house as it's all she's known. As others say it's easier to keep a baby warm in the cold than cool in the heat. I know you're thinking about this right now but once you have your baby you'll just know what to do so don't over think it! x

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TeamSouthfields · 17/09/2013 11:13

When outside:

Layers keep babies warm rather than one thick thing...

A vest, socks, a body suit, and in a snowsuit will be fine

Or:

A vest, socks, thick body suit, a cardi or jumper and afew blankets

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TeamSouthfields · 17/09/2013 11:17

Inside:

Depends on how warm is it but a all in one / body suit with feet in is normally best, comfy and warm and comes in different thicknesses , also get some cardi's too ....

Be very careful when sleeping, especially at night, do not over do blankets and remember to tuck them in..
A thick bodysuit is best without blankets..

Once baby is roughly 3 months old (check sizes)
A sleep bag is best, these come in different togs too...
No- matter what u do, just keep checking babies body temperature, add or take away layers...

Good luck

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